Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 68.02
Liaison Beth Klein
Submission Date Feb. 25, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

State University of New York at Cortland
PA-7: Affordability and Access

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.79 / 4.00 Beth Klein
Campus Sustainability Coordinato
Early Childhood Education
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1 

Support for Low-Income Students

Does the institution have policies and programs to make it accessible and affordable to low-income students?:
Yes

None
A brief description of any policies and programs to minimize the cost of attendance for low-income students:
The SUNY Cortland Financial Aid Office works individually with students (and parents) to support and guide students through the financial aid application process. All prospective and current students have an assigned financial aid advisor, based on last name, who will answer questions and help students understand the financial aid options available to them at SUNY Cortland. Low-income students qualify for larger amounts in both the federal and state aid programs. Four major types of financial aid include: Grants and Student Employment Federal Loans Scholarships Private Loans and Additional Funding Opportunities At SUNY Cortland, we use the Banner student information system to award and track aid recipients. As part of this system, we are able to utilize algorithmic packaging to identify students with the largest need and offer them campus-based funding. We also create a population selection to identify and offer a SUNY Cortland grant award to our highest need student applicants.

None
A brief description of any programs to equip the institution’s faculty and staff to better serve students from low-income backgrounds:
ASAP (Academic Support and Achievement Program)staff team with faculty to provide academic learning and time management support to students. The Student Disabilities Office coordinates assistance for self-identified students with disabilities. The Summer Diversity Institute provides faculty with strategies for incorporating diversity into curriculum.

A brief description of the institution’s programs to guide and prepare students and families from low-income backgrounds for higher education:
*The Summer EOP Institute prepares accepted low-income students with techniques and strategies for achieving academic success. *Access to College Education helps to prepare high school students for college. *Academic Support and Achievement Program helps students to develop effective learning strategies that are tailored to their individual learning style.

None
A brief description of the institution's scholarships for low-income students:
SUNY Cortland has a number of institutional scholarships available to both incoming and current students based on financial need. SUNY Cortland utilizes Academic Works as our scholarship management system which allows students to view opportunities available to them by major, class year, etc. One example of such a scholarship is the 1st generation Fantauzzi scholarships.

A brief description of the institution’s targeted outreach to recruit students from low-income backgrounds:
In the past several years the Admissions Office has made a concerted effort to raise the level of diversity on the Cortland campus. Currently approximately 18% of students self-report as being non-white.

A brief description of the institution’s other policies or programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students:
We work one-on-one with students to make our institution accessible and affordable. We recommend that our students stop into our office to meet their aid advisor so they can put a face with the name.

Support for Non-Traditional Students 

Does the institution have policies and programs to support non-traditional students?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s scholarships provided specifically for part-time students:
There are two scholarships specifically for non-traditional students and only need to be part-time. There are also other scholarships for non-traditional students that require full-time enrollment. Regarding additional opportunities for part-time students, the Financial Aid office should be able to help. https://cortland.academicworks.com/opportunities/5884 https://cortland.academicworks.com/opportunities/6296

A brief description of the institution’s on-site child care facility, partnership with a local facility, and/or subsidies or financial support to help meet the child care needs of students:
Our financial aid advisors work directly with students on a case-by-case basis to adjust budgets to include child-care expenses. Once the budget has been adjusted, financial aid options are discussed with the student in order to determine if additional funding is needed. Low income SUNY Students are eligible for child care grants. Students apply through the center director. http://www2.cortland.edu/offices/child-care-center/tuition-assistance-guidelines.dot http://www2.cortland.edu/offices/child-care-center/

A brief description of the institution’s other policies and programs to support non-traditional students:
SUNY Cortland was recognized as a non-traditional student friendly campus by the The Association for Non-Traditional Students in Higher Education (ANTSHE) on March 25, 2017 during the 20th annual ANTSHE Conference at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. Support includes: 1) A non-traditional student organization (http://www2.cortland.edu/offices/advisement-and-transition/nontrads/ntso.dot) 2)non-traditional student honor society http://www2.cortland.edu/offices/advisement-and-transition/nontrads/asl.dot) 3) non-traditional student lounge (http://www2.cortland.edu/offices/advisement-and-transition/nontrads/lounge.dot), and 4) celebrating Non-traditional Students' Week (http://www2.cortland.edu/offices/advisement-and-transition/pdfs/non-trads/nt%20week%20flyer%202017.pdf)

Part 2 

Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (tracking accessibility and affordability)? (If data is not available, select 'No'):
Yes

The percentage of entering students that are low-income (0-100):
14.40

The graduation/success rate for low-income students (0-100):
73

On average, the percentage of need that was met for students who were awarded any need-based aid (e.g. as reported to the U.S. Common Data Set initiative, item H2) (0-100):
67

The percentage of students graduating with no interest-bearing student loan debt or for whom no out-of-pocket tuition is required (i.e. the percentage of graduates who have not taken out interest-bearing loans) (0-100):
24.20

Optional Fields 

Estimated percentage of students that participate in or directly benefit from the institution’s policies and programs to support low-income and non-traditional students (0-100):
---

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.